The Sixth Street trophy belongs to the Stags once again. On Sept. 26, the Claremont-Mudd Scripps (CMS) football team reclaimed the storied title, defeating the Sagehens 22-10 at Merritt Field. With the win, CMS improved to 2-1 on the season, and is now tied for first in SCIAC with a 1-0 record in conference play.
For many players, including Cooper Nixon HM ’27, whose two-yard touchdown in the first quarter put the Stags up 10-0, this year’s Sixth Street rivalry carried extra weight.
“This was my last chance to hold that trophy,” Nixon said. “All the senior class has been excited for it for all four years, so it just means a lot to walk away with this trophy right now.”
Outside of Nixon’s lone touchdown, kicker Sean Lee CM ’29 led the way for the Stags’ offense, drilling a CMS-record five field goals, including a fourth quarter dagger to put the Stags up by 12 with a minute and a half left in the game. Lee said his late-game kick to ice the game felt no different than any other, unaware of the record-breaking opportunity in front of him.
“Lining up for that field goal, I actually didn’t know that it was gonna be a program record,” Lee said. “I just try to get my mind right before every kick, so the mentality was the same.”
Despite his individual heroics, Lee attributed his record night to the team’s cohesion and preparation.
“Football is such a team sport,” he said. “My snap has to be perfect, the hold has to be there and my line has to protect me, all within a couple seconds. I would like to zoom out a bit more and give credit to my team and everyone that was able to give me an opportunity to have the success that I had.”
For CMS head coach Kyle Sweeney, team cohesion mattered that much more, given the heightened stakes of the Sixth Street rivalry and playing on the road.
“This is an interesting one because there’s so much pressure away from football, the social pressure of it and the environment,” Sweeney said. “So our guys understood that they were going to have to band together. We had a lot of injuries and shuffling of positions leading into this game, and they really stuck together and played well as a group.”
As the team celebrates the hard-fought win, Sweeney is making sure they stay focused on the road ahead. He emphasized carrying the same energy that brought them the trophy into the rest of the games.
“This is the first conference game, so we’re 1-0, and that’s where you want to be after game one,” Sweeney said. “Now we want to carry this into next week and try to make a run at winning the conference.”
On the other side of the field, the Sagehens are not allowing this game to cloud their minds.
“We just continue to work hard, not let it get to us and keep after it,” Wyllys Ames PO ’29 said. “We’re a great program and we’re going to do great things. I don’t think the scoreboard speaks to the program that we are.”
Pomona-Pitzer head coach John Walsh appreciated how his team met the moment, despite the loss.
“This is a big-time rivalry, the most unique rivalry in the country,” Walsh said. “Our kids were locked in starting last Sunday, and we had a great week of preparation. Both teams are gonna prepare hard and play hard, and that’s what happened tonight.”
Following the defeat, the Sagehens are taking advantage of this opportunity to sharpen their approach as they remain focused on their goal of winning SCIAC.
“I think there’s always going to be room for improvement,” Walsh said. “We’ll watch the film. We played for four quarters. You never quit. The players played to the last whistle, so we can build on that. Defense improved. There were some really bright spots tonight.”
A team that is anchored in trust handles setbacks effectively. That is the case for the Sagehens, according to Ames.
“We’re all really close,” he said. “We have a good brotherhood, so I think we did a good job and left it all on the field. We’re going to do a great job this season. We have tons of talent, and we are incredibly well coached. We can definitely have a championship season.”
For the Stags, the team hopes to keep the energy high, carrying this week’s momentum into the season ahead.
“We’re excited,” Nixon said. “We lost this game last year, and it was a momentum hit …. We’re going to keep it going.”
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